‘Greetings from Jacksonville,’ the iconic postcard image shows a different skyline than we see here downtown today.
One man’s collection of 5-by-4 inch postcards and the history behind them that he says he wants to keep alive.
A collection Andrew Bachmann has compiled over 25 years. He estimates there’s nearly 5,000 postcards here – almost all of them Jacksonville or First Coast themed.
“What better way to get them something tangible that they can hold on to and say hey you should check out this restaurant, this place,” Bachmann said.
Rare cards that cost hundreds of dollars, and some that were printed over a hundred years ago.
“Pretty cool one with the trolleys going down, Bachmann said.
Other sites not so lucky – an alligator slide attraction and an Ostrich racing farm gone. He spends a few days every month on the hunt for pieces he doesn’t have.
“Scrolling through eBay, shops, going to postcard conventions and I’m always uncovering cards I haven’t seen before,” Bachmann said.
Showing-off places that have long since changed, like NAS JAX, or the days before the Landing in this card. Then there’s this one of the old Elks Club on Laura and Adams streets. Today it’s in the thick of things still, but with an updated look.
Bachmann said while he won’t put a stamp on the ones behind plastic, he and his family do send postcards for posterity’s sake.
“Imagine you’re 80 years old and you’re going through and you’re going through and you wrote down what you did, Bachman said.
Bachmann is working to publish his second book of postcard pictures; new images he hopes will inspire Jacksonville residents to learn about the city’s past.